Day 27

Priest Gulch to Telluride

42 miles daily
1359 total

I know, stopping in Telluride is a bit indulgent, but I was beat.

I enjoy my continental breakfast and hit the road. Gorgeous day! The air in the Rockies smells great! I follow the Dolores River to the town of Rico. Very pretty place. I would've stayed here yesterday but I couldn't get a campground or motel on the phone.

It's a steady chug until the highway leaves the river and then a big three mile climb reaches the summit. Wow! What a view! While I'm taking pictures, the carpenter/photographer,David, who I met yesterday pulls up in his Subaru. "I told ya it was amazing!" he hollers as he steps out to say hi. David also creates greeting cards with his photos and is on his way to Telluride to restock one of the shops that features his work. He pulls out a box to let me pick a few and the wind blows his cards all over the place- we waddle around recovering cards off of the highway and then get into a long conversation about the environment.

I fly down from the summit at 45mph and rip past the photo opportunity at Trout Lake.
I take out the camera again when things turn into an unexpected series of steep climbs to Mountain Village and Telluride.

The last 3 miles into Telluride features a bike path that I suppose was constructed during the Gold Rush. It's a miracle none of my gear snaps or cracks with all the ruts. I learn that Telluride's largest festival of the year begins in two days. It's a bluegrass fest and the town is crawling with cars and people. I drift around the different bike shops and hardware spots in an attempt to repair/replace my busted mirror. No luck. I do stumble upon a bike dungeon of sorts and have an interesting talk with the mechanic. He's totally stoned and he pops up with a new topic each time I say "so-long". At a bar and grill I go bananas- they've got Blind Pig AND Delerium Tremens on tap! I meet Tom and Gale who are on a road trip and they buy me a pint which sorta tips the scales at that point. Thanks you two! Afterwards I check out The Sweet Life- a basement level retro ice cream and candy shop.